Coach Thinks Wanderlei Should Fight Before Belfort Rematch

More than a year has passed since Wanderlei
Silva last set foot inside the cage, and, despite outside
pressures, “The Axe Murderer” has resisted the temptation to accept
a rematch with Vitor
Belfort upon his return. At least one person, longtime mentor
Rafael
Cordeiro, remains in his corner and steadfastly so.

Silva (Pictured), who underwent knee reconstructive knee surgery in
July, has not fought since he earned a unanimous decision over “The
Ultimate Fighter” Season 3 winner Michael
Bisping at UFC 110 in February 2010. He wants a tune-up fight
before he meets Belfort again.

“I think Wanderlei is coming off multiple injuries, but, at the
same time, he has a desire to make this fight. There is a desire as
an athlete and a fighter to make this rematch with Vitor,” said
Cordeiro, who runs the
Kings MMA camp in Huntington Beach, Calif. “I think, at this
point, in my opinion as a friend and coach, he should have a fight
with someone else before Vitor. When I say someone, I mean anyone
who gets him back to being active.

“This fight with Vitor will become very important in his life, and
he really wants it,” he added. “For Wanderlei to be 100 percent for
the fight with Vitor, it’s important that he get another fight
before it.”

Belfort challenged Anderson
Silva for the middleweight crown at UFC 126 in February, losing
by first-round knockout at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las
Vegas. Cordeiro believes participating in a fight of that magnitude
would give Belfort a decided edge if the rematch were made now.

“Vitor just fought for the belt, and, thinking about the rhythm of
the fight, he’s ahead of Wanderlei in that regard,” Cordeiro said.
“I’m not saying that he’s better than Wanderlei, but Wanderlei
needs to pick up his pace [before they fight].”

Belfort handed Silva arguably the worst defeat of his career in
October 1998, as he blitzed his compatriot in a brilliant 44-second
technical knockout. Silva went on to become one of the top stars in
the
Pride Fighting Championships promotion in Japan, winning the
205-pound title and defeating Japanese icon Kazushi
Sakuraba (three times), former UFC light heavyweight champion
Quinton
Jackson (twice) and two-time Olympian Dan
Henderson in the process. Revered for his violent and
aggressive style, Silva has lost five of his last seven fights.
Fans have long yearned for a second bout between the now
34-year-old Brazilian and Belfort.

“I think he has the desire to fight with Vitor,” Cordeiro said.
“Vitor already defeated him, and he has this desire to have
revenge. However, the body says he stopped fighting a year ago and
needs additional time to regenerate. He returned to training, with
a focus on fighting, only 15 days ago. He was weight training, but
he returned to fight training only recently. We’re still afraid to
push him 100 percent. The most important thing is that the UFC
wants him to fight, regardless of the time he’s been out.”